Pallet provides a structural foundation for unit loads to be handled and transported in the logistic supply chain. With lifting equipment such as forklifts, jack devices, front loader or conveyors, the pallet provides protection for the goods that are securely stacked on top of it to be kept in storage or carried in transportation.
Various pallets have been designed and introduced to the public. An example of a pallet with its features disclosed in the public domain is a lightweight corrugated pallet under the patent number of U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,326. The pallet comprises at least one corrugated upper deck member being filled by rigid plastic foam filler at the flutes of the top side corrugations to provide added strength and rigidity to the upper deck. The upper deck member is supported by multiple spaced rigid plastic support members that are adhesively fastened to the underside corrugations of the upper deck. The spacing of the plastic support members allows entry of prongs of a forklift truck. The downside of this pallet is that the corrugated feature does not provide a flat working surface for the pallet and hence affects the stability of loads placed on top of the pallet.
Another prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,360 describes a cargo pallet having a rectangular shaped core that comprises a grid of a plurality of stringers and struts that forms a cross-hatch assembly with the stringers extending from one edge of the core to the other edge of the core and the struts being cross members between the stringers. The stringers and the struts have at least one cross-sectional portion substantially in a C-shape for a flat surface to be presented on either side of the cross-sectional portion. Two aluminium sheets are attached by rivets to the flat surfaces to cover the core. This pallet, however, lacks rigidity as the cross-hatch assembly with aluminium sheets attached on its surface does not provide sufficient strength to support large load and would fail easily. The lack of base members to support the base of the pallet also attributes to the weak structural integrity of the pallet.
From the abovementioned examples of pallets, it could be concluded that the rigidity and stability of a pallet are crucial to support heavy loads. It is therefore important to introduce a reinforced pallet with enhanced structural integrity to address the drawbacks of existing pallets.